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Fire engines parked up on London Road to tackle the blaze (Image: Becca Smallcombe)

A Kent Police spokesperson said: "Kent Police was called at 8.20pm on Sunday January 28 to a report of a small bin being on fire in a set of ground floor male toilets inside a hotel in The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells.

"Officers attended along with Kent Fire and Rescue Service and the minor fire was extinguished.

"No injuries were reported. Guests eating within the hotel restaurant were evacuated during the incident as a precaution.

"The fire is being treated as suspicious and enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident are ongoing."

The Tunbridge Wells Hotel (Image: Google)

Wearing breathing apparatus, firefighters successfully managed to isolate the fire to one room and carried out a full search of the ground floor with thermal imaging cameras, before clearing smoke and fumes with a special fan.

A man thought to be in his 70s was handed into the care of South East Coast Ambulance Service.

The affected room was approximately 20 per cent damaged by fire, the rest of the room and ground floor had smoke damage.